On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 47-51
I’ve got so much campaign prep to get done that if I don’t do it here, I’ll never get it done in time…
Chapters 47 to 51 were in outline note form when I started. Oh, and for those wondering how I’m tracking with my rough outline, and the estimates made at the start of the series, these were originally listed as Chapters 38 to 42 – so, in order to keep the narrative reasonably grouped into subjects, I’ve had to add an extra 9 chapters. There’s a lesson in that for GMs working on adventures – add scenes as necessary to clarify or preserve a logical flow. Nor am I finished adding chapters yet – the nine chapters that will follow this quintet in the coming weeks were three chapters in the draft outline, changed just before I started writing the series.
But this post is significant for another set of reasons. When I add the six additional chapters that are forthcoming to the original allocation of chapters, I get a total of 85 – which means that this serving’s conclusion marks the half-way point in the totality. At least when viewed from the perspective of number of chapters in the draft, that is. If I assume no more chapters need to be added beyond the nine already published and the six to come, I get a total of 94 (and yes, I’m very well aware that 6 more chapters snuck in would carry the whole thing to a nice neat 100 chapters, and don’t think I’m not tempted). Half of 94 is 47 – and that makes this lot the start of the second half.
Most of the remaining chapters are a single line outline. So in terms of work required, I’m probably much less than half-way – maybe 1/3. To compensate for that, though, the chapters will probably get shorter, closer to the length of those in this article, making this a turning point of a different kind – and potentially shortening the whole series in terms of numbers of posts – so this could be as much as the 2/3 point, depending on how easily the magic words flow. But that also means that I’m more likely to encounter writer’s block from this point on, necessitating a last-minute article that’s not part of the series, making this a turning point of a completely different kind. My first order of business in what little spare time I have over the next few weeks will be to throw together some quick reserve posts, just to make sure I don’t miss a deadline along the way. Maybe I’ll start with an article on coping with writer’s block…
So there’s no shortage of significance to this particular post…
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The Dwarfwar Legacies I: The Dwarves
With the banishment of Molgoth, the Dwarves lost much of the irrational bloodlust that he had instilled in them, but many aspects of Molgoth’s taint remained. They had been twisted into a violent, bloodthirsty race, with only their especially-prickly sense of honor acting as a counterbalance to this natural trend to violence. In their minds, Molgoth was an Elvish creation, a misinterpretation that led them to foreswear all contact with the surface world. They had tired of the humiliation that comes with such interaction, and were more than tired of being used. They released many of the slaves they have taken, having inadvertently instilled in them the dream of conquering the Underdark; while none would overcome the Dwarves, many would test the bearded warrior’s defenses in the years that followed, further reinforcing the martial tendency that Molgoth had instilled in them.
One thing that the Dwarvish mentality could not accept was defeat and humiliation; in time, they rationalized their withdrawal from the surface as occurring because they needed no-one else. This assuaged their warrior’s pride, and slowly a complex society of obligations and honor and blood-debts grew from what had once been a simple shift-worker / foreman structure. Even now, they cling to their isolationist ways.
The Dwarfwar Legacies 2: Halflings
When the Dwarves released their slaves, they had a special problem with the Halflings. They could not understand what had driven them to such terrible deeds, and the presence of the few survivors was a constant reminder of their humiliations at the hands of first Molgoth and then the Elves. At the same time, the Halflings were helpless, weak, and pathetic little creatures (from the Dwarven perspective), and the killing of such would be an admission of weakness.
Nor could the Dwarves simply release them, as they had done their other slaves; they could not tolerate the thought of encountering them wandering the Underdark, and the tunnels to the surface had been sealed and would not be reopened. In the end, they gave the Halfling survivors a choice: those who were willing to live as slaves would be traded to another race; those who would not serve could kill themselves, or could starve.
Their spirits broken by months of confinement and torture, most Halflings took the third option; a few with more fire remaining but no hope took the second; and a few, the last survivors of the Halflings, chose to be enslaved. These were the Halflings most without hope, and those few with the spark still to dream of freedom.
The Dwarfwar Legacies 3: Drow
If the Dwarves were to be confined to the Underdark forever, as they intended, they decided that they needed to reach an accord with the other races who shared their environment. With one exception, this had been achieved – more or less – when they freed their slaves; that exception being their neighbors below: The Drow.
Tentatively, the Dwarves reopened diplomatic relations with the Drow. It helped that they had a firm grasp of what they wanted – to be left alone – and knew what price they would deem acceptable to achieve it. Over the course of the next three months, the Dwarves negotiated a straightforward treaty with the Drow to respect each other’s borders. As an inducement to the negotiations, they gifted the Dark Elves with the remaining Halfling Slaves. Since Dwarves have no longer had or wanted any contact with the outside world, by their own choice, the rest of the world believed for centuries that the Dwarves wiped out the entire Halfling population while under the influence of the Chaos Power, Molgoth.
The act of accepting the Halflings began a subtle transformation in Drow society. Possession of Halfling slaves became a status symbol, the first that was not directly tied to Lolth. Members of many great houses came to dote on these forced manservants, and especially the young of those house, who found them to be ideal playmates. The ignorance of the Halflings toward Drow ways was not unlike the ignorance of a child, but where children would accept over-simplified or even nonsensical explanations, the Halflings were adults. While they could be forced to accept a status quo without explanation, flaws in social logic became apparent to many Drow after seeing them reflected in Halfling eyes. This engendered a rebellious undercurrent within Drow society that would eventually find fertile ground.
Lolth was aware of this, of course, but was caught on the horns of a dilemma: while She could order the destruction of the slaves, she could not do so without confirming the seditious rumors and doubts that had arisen within her society. She could have ordered them released, on some pretext – but that would constitute an intolerable security risk. In fact, all she could do was institute ever more restrictive controls over her people, bottling up any trend towards independence. The situation was ultimately unstable, and if she had been dependant solely apon the Drow for worshippers, would have been intolerable. Fortunately, many of the fallen races still looked to Her in various guises; but none of these were a match for her Drow, and so were nothing more than a stopgap reserve to Lolth. To be truly independent of the fate of her subjects, She needed to find another race of superior gifts to Convert. But she had thought the same thoughts many times before, and her repeated searches had failed to find an acceptable alternative which would meet her own high standards. Once again, she determined to prioritize a search for another suitable subject race, and demanded her followers to repeatedly describe the characteristics of those they had encountered during the various missions she had set for them; but none were suitable, and a compromise could be worse than no alternative at all. Dissatisfied with their reports, and feeling an increased desperation, she determined that she would have to search more out-of-the-way locations in person, and trust that the enforcement and reinforcement mechanisms that she had built into the society of her followers would prevent them from straying too far in the meantime.
Before she could do so, she would be swept up in another series of critical events that would transform the world; but that’s getting ahead of our story…
The Dwarfwar Legacies 4: The Elves
Much of the heart went out of the Elves in the aftermath of the Third Great War with the Dwarves. They lacked the drive to see any task accomplished, and became extremely conservative, unwilling to risk any great project because they were unsure of the extent to which it derived from the Taint Of Molgoth. They lacked in confidence, and became insular and ineffective. Much of the joy departed from their lives, which became grey and barren. Only the Huyundaltha retained the memories of Elven culture as it once was.
Thus was every race touched by the machinations of Molgoth left broken by the experience, lessened in stature and power.
The Dwarfwar Legacies 5: The Legacy Gate
The elves lacked the power to destroy the Circle Of Harmony; it had been wrought too well by the most powerful and skilled amongst their Spellweavers, and none of that caliber had survived. They knew they had to do something, for Molgoth and his kind would never stop seeking it’s power; since the Circle could not be ended, and there was no-one with the power to protect it, the only solution was to conceal it somehow.
They used its power against itself, transforming its shape so that it would not be easily recognized. Where once it had been a circle of standing stones surmounted by Gems, now those stones were reshaped to form a great arched gate, the size of six elves in height, and two elves thick, with the black gems hidden within it’s carefully-sculpted heart. Once this was achieved, they used its powers to remove what they had renamed The Legacy Gate from their Kingdom to a remote location, where it was hoped it would never be found, and then wove one last great spell through it, to remove all memory or knowledge of its origins and location from their minds. Molgoth (if he survived) and his kind must never be permitted to find it.
Unknown to the Elvish Spellweavers, Corellan sheltered the Huyundaltha from the effects of this particular Spellweaving. As the Guardians Of Elvishness, it was necessary for them to know the truth as a safeguard should the Gate be rediscovered in the future. It was a measure of the lessening of the capabilities of the Spellweavers that they were completely unaware of this interference in their designs.
Lolth, who had been watching the progress of the Elvish Spellweavers intently, also knew the truth, but even she did not know where the Gate had been sent. She issued commandments to her people containing just enough of the true story that they would recognize the gate if they learned of it, and set them to search the world by stealth until it was found. This was a task that would occupy the race fruitlessly for centuries.
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The Ongoing Elvish Glossary
- Alkaith: Curved 14-inch dagger favored as a weapon and general cutting tool by Elvish Spellcasters and some High Elves.
- Arnost: Simple Speech (Modern “Common”, a human tongue)
- Arrunquessor: Plains Elves
- Ayer: Nuthanori word meaning “Squat”. Mont Ayer is the name of one of the two peaks that define the traditional elvish lands.
- Calquissir: High Elves
- Ciltherosa: A variety of tree which grows very tall before erupting into successive crowns of branches of diminishing size which arch and curve horizontally.
- Comesdhail Osfadara Litrithe Congress Of Spellweavers
- Corellan: The First
- Drow: “Those Who Dwell Apart” (in Nuthanorl). Added to Ogre by the Drow with the meaning of “Smart”.
- Ellessarune: The “Shining City” of the Tarquessir, home of the Elvish King and capital of the Elven Lands to this day.
- Eltrhinast: “Guiding Spirit”
- Elvarheim: “Blessed Leafy Home”: The Elven Forest, homeland of the Tarquessir and the centre of Elven Power in modern times
- Gilandthor: “The Gathering”, the formal title of the Elvish Council.
- Hithainduil: High Elven Language
- Huyundaltha: “Masters Of The Ondaltha” (literal), “Bladedancers” (colloquial). Formerly Noletinechor, now Guardians Of Elvish Society.
- Illvayssor: “The Other”, a mythical race
- Infelstreta: “Demon” in Hithainduil.
- Isallithin: “The Sundered”, a name applied to Aquatic Elves
- King: A human title interpreted by Elves as “speaker to others” and defined as such within their language.
- Lesiatrame: “Bright Ego”, a deprecating term used to describe Human Gods, rendered suspect during the commencement of the third Great Dwarfwar.
- Magi: A corruption of the Zamiel word “Machus”, which means “of the wise.”
- Magfelstreta: “Devil” in Hithainduil.
- Mithryl: the Elvish name of an extremely fragile metal given in trade by the Dwarves to the Elves. The word is imported from Dwarven, who in turn obtained it from the Zamiel Tongue name of the metal, “Mithral”. “Mithryl” means “Moonsilver” in Elven. The word also enjoys popular usage as a metaphor for a treasure found which appeared initially worthless.
- Mithral: the Drow name for Mithryl. A literal translation from Zamiel is “Shadowsilver”.
- Mont: Nuthanori word meaning “High Place”. Used human-style in the naming of Mountains.
- Noletinechor: “Lore Shields”, an elvish historical vocation
- Nuthanorl: Low Elven Language, Common Elven
- Ondaltha: A two-weapon combat style based apon Elvish Dance, practiced exclusively by Huyundaltha.
- Osfadara Litrithe Spellweaver, literally ‘Weaver of Harmony’.
- Sarner: A human abbreviation of the Hithainduil word “Saranariuthenal” which means, literally, “Swift and Wide”. The River Sarner runs through the central valley of Elvarheim.
- Siurthua: Tainted
- Tarquessir: Forest Elves
- Thonsutriane: “Dark Egos”, a deprecating term used to describe Chaos Powers, rendered suspect during the commencement of the third Great Dwarfwar.
- Thuyon: Nuthanori word meaning “Tall Spires”. Mont Thuyon is the name of the taller of the two peaks that define the traditional elvish lands; Modern Elvarheim lies between the foothills of Mont Thuyon and the River Sarner.
- Verdonne: “Quickbranch”, an artificial race created by Elves to be “The Guardians Of The Forest”.
- Zamiel: Drow Language
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Next time: Orcish Clan Wars, Divine Visitations, and more in Chapters 52-54!
- Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 1
- Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 2
- Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 3
- Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 4
- Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 5
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 1-4
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 5-10
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 11-14
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 15-17
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 18-20
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 21-23
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 24-26
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 27-28
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 29-31
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 32-36
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 37-40
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 41-43
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 44-46
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 47-51
- Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Orcish Mythology
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 52-54
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 55-58
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 59-62
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 63-65
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 66-68
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 69-70
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 71-73
- Who Is “The Hidden Dragon”? – Behind the curtain of the Orcs and Elves Series
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapter 74
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 75-77
- On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 78-85
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